Coffee

Super automatic espresso / coffee makers have a bean topper located on the top, designed for storing whichever beans you choose and feeding them right into the machine when you make a coffee or espresso drink.

Even though other bean types can be prepared conveniently, oily beans do not work well with super automatic coffee makers, as they often stick to its different parts, which eventually may spoil it.

Most super automatic machines warn you in the instructions to avoid oily beans. And if you’ve tried to use them anyway, you might have noticed that they get caught in the hopper and the grinder makes a high pitched whirring sound that indicates not enough beans made it into the grinding area. So with this in mind, you should be careful when choosing coffee beans, as many “espresso roasts” can be oily.  

So as much as you might like your favorite coffee that tends to have oily beans, you need to avoid them so they don’t clog up your automatic espresso machines over time.

Here’s more information on why oily beans are bad for your automatic espresso machines and why you should avoid them.

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by Erin Marissa Russell

Ready to learn about the difference between ristretto versus a long shot? Both these espresso drinks are slightly altered versions of a standard espresso shot. We’re ready to give you the breakdown of exactly what goes into a ristretto and a long shot, as well as how they differ.

In short, a ristretto uses less water than a single shot of espresso while a long shot uses more water. That means the flavor of a ristretto is more concentrated than a single shot, while the flavor of a long shot is gentler and more diluted.

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by Erin Marissa Russell

We call them coffee beans, but are the beans we get our coffee from actually legumes? The short answer is no. But if they aren’t legumes, what are coffee beans? Keep reading for a total breakdown explaining everything you need to know about coffee beans.

What we call a coffee bean is actually the seed inside a fruit called a coffee cherry. The fruits are red or purple, and interestingly, the seeds inside don’t really resemble beans. Even though they don’t look a lot like legumes, they’ve earned the nickname through common use, so lots of people believe that coffee beans are legumes despite the fact that they are fruit seeds. The only thing coffee beans have in common with real legumes is their shape and size. 

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by Erin Marissa Russell

Are you wondering about whether coffee will hydrate you? If you’re like us, you’ve heard conflicting information. Yes, coffee’s main ingredient is water, but what about the diuretic properties of caffeine? We’re ready to explain how coffee affects hydration, so just keep reading to find out more.

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by Erin Marissa Russell

Ready to find out everything you need to know about Italian macchiato coffee? Coffee on its own is simple, but when you start getting into espresso drinks, it can be harder to know the difference between macchiato and mocha or cappuccino and americano. We’ll tell you exactly what an Italian macchiato is and also tell you how to make one.

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QUESTION: What is a shot in a coffee? Sometimes at my coffee shop I hear someone order coffee with a shot and I don’t know what that actually means, but I’m embarrassed to ask the person at the register. – Henrietta L

ANSWER: If you’ve heard people talk about adding shots to their coffee, you may be wondering what exactly this means. In this case, people aren’t talking about adding an alcoholic shot to their cup of joe. 

Most of the time, the word “shot” refers to a serving of espresso that may be blended with other ingredients to make a coffee drink. A shot of espresso can also be served on its own.

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by Erin Marissa Russell

Ready to learn about over extracted coffee? The secret to a perfect cup of coffee is balancing the brewing time, water temperature, and grind size so that your coffee is neither over extracted nor under extracted. But in order to do that, you need to know what over extracted coffee tastes like, why it happens, and how to make adjustments if your coffee is over extracted. 

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QUESTION: What’s a good cheap coffee brand? I’m not into fancy coffees. I just have a regular drip machine and I buy ground coffee at the grocery store. – Jeanette R

ANSWER: There’s lots of great coffee out there for the tasting without spending a pretty penny to get it. Here’s a list of the best budget-friendly coffee brands out there. You should be able to find most of these at the grocery store, although different supermarkets carry different brand assortments. Lots of great choices though, so you’re sure to find something you like.

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